I am delighted to report that at last nights (19 March 2014) Annual General Meeting (AGM), all committee nominations were duly elected by a unanimous vote, with no votes against and no abstentions. This is a terrific result as it now give me and your committee the opportunity to deliver a truly outstanding club that you deserve and rightly demand.
I would like to thank everyone who attended the meeting and voted for the nominated members. Your committee members are:
Chairman Stephen Carr damchairman@derbyam.org.uk
Treasurer Mick Ford damtreasurer@derbyam.org.uk
Secretary Pete MacRorie damsecretary@derbyam.org.uk (In name ONLY – me and Mick are doing the Secretary role until a volunteer comes forward)
Newsletter Annie Beddows damnewsletter@derbyam.org.uk
Runs Co-ord Gordon Constable gordon@gc-construction.co.uk
Webmaster Peter Harris iam@peterharris.org.uk
Observer Co-ord Geoff Salt gsalt100@btinternet.com
Test & Guidance Geoff Salt gsalt100@btinternet.com
Test & Guidance John Cowley johncowley44jc@gmail.com
Membership Secretary Phil Fairbrother phil@fbro.co.uk
Associate Co-ord Phil Fairbrother phil@fbro.co.uk
Committee Member Shaun Bounds the.librarian@ntlworld.com
Committee Member Richard Ballard richard.ballard@btinternet.com
Committee Member Pete MacRorie madmac6@virginmedia.com
2014 is going to be a fantastic year for our club. Your committee is very highly motivated at this time, and we are all raring to get going now that the new motorcycling season is upon us. To give you a taste of what lies ahead, here are some of the salient points that were discussed at last nights club night:
1. Welcome to the AGM.
2. A very warm welcome to our new associate members. I hope that you enjoy our club and get the most from what we offer. We are all here to support you towards achieving your riding ambitions.
3. Welcome and thank you to John Lickley for attending.
4. Thank you to outgoing membership secretary Richard Ballard for his hard work and dedication since 2007. Richard will retain a place on the committee.
5. Thank you to outgoing Secretary Dennis Jump for his hard work since September 2013.
6. Thank Judy Richter for delivering the first aid course last Sunday. We will plan another one if there is sufficient demand from members.
7. Easter Egg run is coming up on Sunday 13 April 2014. Meet from 09:30hrs at Starbucks Little Eaton. 10:00hrs departure for Derby children’s hospital. Ride out afterwards to the National Memorial Arboretum where there is a cafe for lunch.
8. Ride out to Craven Motorcycle museum, near York. Sunday 20 April 2014
9. If you have any ideas for group ride-outs that you would like us to organise, please make your committee aware and we will do our best to accommodate you.
10. London trip is coming along nicely. There are still places available if anyone would like to join us. Plans are in place to visit the Chelsea pensioners at Royal Hospital Chelsea followed by a visit to the National Army museum (if required) and then the world famous Ace Cafe. But the highlight of the day will be the stunning roads on the route home (or down if people are willing to start early enough!).
11. Skills day at the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon Saturday 31 May 2014. Open to full and associate members alike. Cost is only £10 which includes entry to the museum (worth £12)
12. Contributions for the newsletter are always welcome, so get your stories and photos in to Annie. We aim to publish about 4 newsletters per year. The next newsletter is due to be published about the end of May 2014.
13. Proposed change of date for club nights. To take effect from January 2015 onwards. The proposal is to change to the second Tuesday of each month from January. An email will be sent out. There will also be an interactive poll on the new website.
14. The new website should be up and running very shortly. There has been a delay due to the severe weather conditions.
15. The start of the Spring has been very good for getting our motorcycles out after a long, wet winter. If you have not done much riding and would like to refresh your skills, then you can book a free session with our observers if you wish who will help you to maintain the high standards of Roadcraft that you have achieved in the past. Alternatively, you can purchase a Ride Check from the IAM and ride with a qualified examiner who will assess your skills.
16. As the new riding season is now with us, why not think about aiming for the next higher grade? This could be aiming for a “F1rst” or a Masters qualification.
We also discussed the use of radios and video cameras. Radio training is something that we are currently looking in to, with a view to them slowly being introducing to our club to offer all members the opportunity to use this technology. We currently have plenty of video cameras available for all members, so if you would like someone to video you in action then please get in touch and we can arrange this for you.
If you would like any more details on anything at all, then please do get in touch with either myself or any of the committee members and we will be delighted to help you. Remember, this is your club and we are here for you.